It's Only Forever
by Rhiannon A. Christy
Summary: Day 1 of the 21 Day Darcy Lewis Crossover Challenge on Tumblr. Prompt: "So I kinda took this amazing still life of you while you were unaware and now I have to track you down so I can put the photo in my gallery" Photography AU


Day 1: Monday, June 22nd

"So I kinda took this amazing still life of you while you were unaware and now I have to track you down so I can put the photo in my gallery" "Photography AU"

Crossover: Labyrinth

Pairing: Darcy/Jareth

Rating: T

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It's Only Forever

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Darcy walked leisurely through the park, taking the time to explore the world around her. The place was beautiful, filled with low hills and towering stone structures. She couldn't understand why her friend Sarah had warned her away from the place, the park was like something out of a fantasy novel.

Darcy had met Sarah during her first year of college. The woman was several years older than her, but the two had got on quiet well. Sarah Williams worked as the school's drama instructor, and was the kind of woman that everyone wanted to know. There was just something about the woman, as though she kept a secret hidden away behind her eyes. Darcy had only been in one play during her time there, but it had been enough for a friendship to start up between the two of them. And now, several years after she had finished, Darcy still made sure to visit Sarah every summer.

The sun was just setting as she made her way towards the stone bridge that stretched over a crystal stream. The water looked cool from where she stood, and she wished she could just dive into it. Instead she lifted her camera up and took several shots.

She groaned as her camera stalled, making little noises. The thing had cost too much and was too new to freak out on her. Sitting on the ground, Darcy made quick work looking over it. After ten minutes the noise stopped and the camera seemed as good as new. She scowled down at the thing and cursed under her breath. She didn't have much sunlight left, and of course something would go wrong.

Darcy dusted her leggings down as she stood, and adjusted her camera back to eye level. She blinked as she looked over to the bridge. In the time she had been distracted a man had appeared. He stood in the middle of the bridge, facing out towards the setting sun. The fading light caught in his mane of flaxen hair, creating the illusion of a halo.

She stood stunned, watching as his deep blue jacket fluttered in the breeze. Fireflies danced slowly around him, their lights flickering to an unheard tune. There was something completely unearthly about him, something so enticing.

She slowly adjusted her camera, taking shot after shot as the sunlight slowly crawled down him. She captured every angle she could without alerting him of her presence. One thing she had learned through the years, was a good shot could be ruined once the subject realized that they were being photographed. It was why she took pictures first and asked permission later. Speaking of which, she knew she needed to ask the man before he left.

Clicking off the camera, Darcy took a step forward planning on greeting the man, only when she looked back up towards the bridge he was gone. It was strange, almost as though he had never been there in the first place. She shook her head and decided it was probably time head back to Sarah's for the night. She might not have gotten permission to use the man's image, but there was always the chance the pictures wouldn't come out anyway.

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The pictures came out perfect. Of course they did. They were beautiful, from the lighting to the figure of the man. Even standing in the middle of the local community college's dark room Darcy knew she had hit gold. The only problem? Not only did she not have the man's permission to use his image publicly, she didn't even know who the man was.

"Hey Sarah, you know most of the people in the area don't you?" Unwilling to remove her eyes from the photographs, Darcy simply called back to the other woman who she knew was slumped against the wall in boredom.

"I did grow up here, though there are a few new transplants since I've been away teaching." Sarah uncrossed and recrossed her legs as she leaned back against the wall. She had come with Darcy only because she knew she could get the younger woman into the photography lab. Sarah had once dated Trevor, the art instructor, and even though it had ended badly the man still would do whatever she asked of him. "Why?"

"Yesterday I was at the park and I got the most extraordinary shots of this one guy, only problem is that I didn't get his permission and I have no clue who he is. I was hoping you could tell me." Darcy's eyes were glued to the pictures. She wanted to reach out and touch the man's hair, run her fingers through it. She was drawn to the man, though she couldn't really put her finger on why.

"What does he look like?" Sarah fiddled with the charm on her necklace, she hoped Darcy would be finished soon. She would have gone to visit with a few of the teachers who were still there for summer classes, but that also meant she would have to talk to Trevor. And that was something she didn't want to deal with.

"Tall, like towering tall. Long blond hair, kind of styled wildly in a halo around his head. I couldn't really make out much, but he had a sculpted face with a sharp nose. Dresses all fancy. He looks like he has money." Which Darcy knew could work out for her. She had found that men, like Stark, would readily give permission. They seemed to think it gave them more culture, it had turned out to be the in thing to do.

"What!" Sarah was up off the floor in seconds, her heart hammering in her chest. She really hoped she had misheard Darcy, but as her eyes settled on the pictures she knew she hadn't. It was Jareth, there was no mistaking him for anyone else.

She thought she would be sick. She hadn't seen or heard from the Goblin King since she had been fifteen. Mistakenly, she had thought she had seen the last of him. But there he was, looking for all the world like the prince from some fantasy romance novel.

"Um, Sarah? Are you alright?" Darcy could just make out her friend's shaking body. She wasn't sure what had upset her, had the man she photographed been an ex, or some local axe murderer?

"No, no, nonononono. He wouldn't dare, I beat him, I won." Sarah knew she was rambling on, but she ignored it in favor of the panic that had risen in her chest. She turned swiftly towards Darcy and took her shoulders in her hands. "Listen to me, Darcy. You stay away from that man, he is not what you think."

"Ok, you are scaring me now. What's the matter, is he a murderer or something?" Darcy carefully peeled herself from Sarah's grip. The woman was a lot stronger than she looked, and she was sure she would end up bruising in the end.

"Just stay away from him. And if you do see him, remember; he has no power over you." Sarah looked back at the pictures, her heart in her mouth. Surely he hadn't come back for her after all these years, surely he had forgotten about her.

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Of course Sarah's freaked out rambling hadn't frightened Darcy off as so much made her more curious. So curious in fact that Darcy had returned to the park just days later when Sarah was gone. She didn't know what she expected to find; the man standing on the bridge again, maybe waiting for her so he could introduce himself. But what she got was a completely empty park.

"Yeah, this had been a solid plan, Darcy. Just go wandering around the park at sunset hoping to find some random stranger. You are so great at these things." Darcy huffed at herself. She probably shouldn't talk to herself out in public, she kind of liked the town and would enjoy coming back to visit every year. She really didn't need everyone thinking she needed to be in a straightjacket.

"Well, it worked, so I wouldn't be too hard on yourself."

Darcy spun around at the voice. It had been smooth and lilting, and so very British. Her eyes went wide as she took in her mystery man in all his glory. He no longer wore the fine tailored suit, in it's stead was a pair of gray breeches so tight Darcy could see everything. His simple button down had been replaced with a frilly cream poet's shirt and a tight vest buttoned closely over his ribs. But the thing that caught Darcy's attention as the most odd was the long, flowing cape at his shoulders.

"Is there some sort of comic-con going on that I don't know about?" Darcy watched as the man moved slowly around her, circling her like a bird of prey. She found that he had that same otherworldliness and draw to him in person as he had in his pictures.

"There are no costumes or toys here, Darcy Lewis." The man stopped behind her, his hands coming to rest firmly on her shoulders.

"How did you know my name? Is this some sort of joke, did Sarah put you up to this?" She would kill the other woman if she did. Darcy didn't like being the butt of a joke.

"I know your name because I've been watching you for some time, my Dear. Sarah may have beaten me, and though I may never come near her again, I am still allowed to watch." The man slipped a hand up over her shoulder and into her hair, using it to carefully caress her scalp. "And watch I have. She has grown too far away from magic, changed too much. But you, my Dear, you are still filled with it. I can taste it on you, smell it, and it has called to me."

"Ok, um, I prefer to know a man's name before there is any tasting done." Darcy gave a nervous giggle. She was unable to tell if she was more frightened or turned on by the man's actions. Though she was pretty sure she shouldn't be turned on at all.

"Jareth, Goblin King and Keeper of the Labyrinth, at your service, My Dear." Jareth pulled Darcy back against his chest, his lips pressed gently against one of her ears.

"Alright, um, I'm not really sure what to make of that." It had to be a joke, this whole thing had to be. Otherwise Darcy was in a lot of trouble.

"Do not fret, you will have plenty of time to puzzle it out." Jareth turned Darcy in his arms, pressing her up against his chest with one hand while the other produced a single crystal.

"Uh, why?" Darcy blinked when the man… Jareth created a crystal ball out of nothing in his hand. Shit, this wasn't a joke.

"My Labyrinth needs a queen, and I've decided that you'll do perfectly." With that Jareth tossed the crystal in the air and covered the both of them with his cape.

The air around them shimmered like heat vapors over black top, and with a spray of glitter the park was once again empty.

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Author's Note: My first story for the Darcy Lewis Crossover Challenge. This is probably not what was expected for this AU, but this is what my muse did.

It's been so long since I've written Sarah and Jareth *actually one of my main OTPs* and it felt good to write them again, even if they didn't end up together.

The Avengers could possibly still exist in this universe, but Darcy never met them as she never took the internship with Jane, she majored in Photography and the Arts instead.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


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